A collection of political events and reports about corruption that affects the socio-economy and lives of ordinary people in Papua New Guinea. Events come to pass as they are reported while time continue to travel.

Thursday, 25 May 2017

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE "LLG-COMPILED ELECTORAL ROLL" TRIAL OF 2012 NATIONAL GENERAL ELECTION?

by MICHAEL KIAPULKALOW in Manus

THE Electoral Roll that is compiled by the Electoral Commission are not accurately updated and are erratic. Common errors include names of;

1) some eligible voters in an electorate are missing.

2) deceased voters are still in the roll.

3) potential voters who are not resident of the electorate are in both the electorate's roll and the electorate they currently reside.

4) fictitious voters, especially in the highlands region.

In an effort to improve accuracy and currency of Electoral Rolls, the Electoral Commission selected Manus Province as one province to trial out Rolls that are compiled by Rural LLG Ward Councillors and their "Committees". The locally-generated rolls were extensively tried and tested in Manus during the 2012 National General Elections.

WHAT WERE THE FINDINGS OF THIS TRIAL?It was found the trial was a mixed success at my Balopa LLG Ward 3. During voting, families were called by respective Ward Committees according his locally-generated roll. Family members cast their votes in that order.

However, while the roll was more accurate, I found the roll to be far too accurate! .... My name and those of my children and siblings who have been outside Manus and overseas for years previous to the 2012 NGE were in the roll including my under-aged children!!

My on-the sport assessment of the trial at Balopa LLG Ward 3 (Sone-Manuai Ward, Baluan Island) that the locally-generated roll will solve some, if not all the 4 issues listed above but it will need polishing up. Improving the roll would involve simple education of LLG Wards to strike from the rolls, names of family members who are;

1) less than 18 years of age at the time of NGE

2) not continuous resident of Manus in the previous qualifying period leading to the NGE.Accuracy of such locally-generated Electoral Rolls would work with success in provinces such as Manus where every member of Wards know each other. The transparency of the system would minimise deceitful creation of "ghost" names that is prevalent in some provinces.

Electorates were such simple locally-generated Electoral Rolls should be left to run with the system. If this locally-generated roll system is found to be unworkable in other provinces whereas it work successfully for Manus, then Manus should be left to run with an improved locally-generated Electoral Roll system.

The tendency for the national government to put blanket single systems which do not work for some provinces but works for other provinces often backfires on provinces which the system works.

A good example is the decentralised Provincial Government system which was working relatively successful for New Guinea Island provinces but just because our "mainland" brothers abused the system, a blanket ban on the decentralised Provincial Government system was imposed on all provinces in PNG regardless.